Control mechanism of biodiversity at the Holocene time scale: the contributions of archaezoology

Description

Control mechanism of biodiversity at the Holocene time scale: the contributions of archaeozoologyThis project aimed to increase and use archaeozoological data for a contribution to the knowledge of theimpact of human societies on animal biodiversity at the scale of some centuries or millennia. It was developedin four directions:– large mammals in poorly known and hot spot biodiversity areas (Iran, Ethiopia),– coastal areas in both intertropical (Equator, Peru, West Indies, Oman) and temperate (Aleoutians, theEuropean Atlantic façade) zones,– small Brittany islands and– origin of the mouse commensalism and cat domestication. New evidence have been found for the Holocenegeographical restriction of several species (Saiga tatarica, Equus hydruntinus, Hyaena hyaena,Tragelaphus buxtoni, Noetiella chesneyi, Osilinus lineatus) and even of some extinctions (endemicMicrotus in Molène archipelago, Meretrix sp. In Oman). New species have been described (Meretric sp.,Mus cypriacus). The history of the spread of the house mouse in the Mediterranean basin has been elucidated and the origin of the domestic cat has been found much earlier as expected. In addition, process ofbiodiversity decrease have been described in several of the studied areas, and their natural or man-madeorigin is discussed. Clear cut answers are rarely available, but most of these researches are still in progressin order to increase data and to get the more accurate environmental and anthropological informationwhich will allow us to go deeper in the processes.

Abstract

International audience

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